Wednesday, November 13, 2019

High Fat Diets and Heart Disease

I believe that fats have an important value in a balanced diet, but it's important to remember moderation is valuable as well. Too much of a good thing can be bad, and I think this is true regarding high fat foods. While avocados, free range eggs, olives, nuts, seeds and other high-fat whole foods definitely have health benefits, it's also important to maintain balance in one's diet.

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn that a diet high in fat and cholesterol may raise the risk of heart disease and cardiovascular illnesses, such as atherosclerosis — a disorder in which arteries can lose their elasticity" (LINK).

Also, "when Dr. Hazen did a study comparing 51 habitual meat eaters with 26 vegetarians or vegans (Nat Med. 2013;19:576-585), he found that the vegetarians and vegans had much lower concentrations of plasma TMAO than did the meat eaters." High levels of TMAO tend to be predictors of future heart disease (LINK).

For these reasons, limiting oils, eggs, high fat dairy and high fat meats is probably a smart idea. This doesn't necessarily mean removing all of these foods from your diet, but creating a balanced diet that is rich in whole foods, healthy proteins and healthy starches.

But what to eat instead of all of the butter, bacon and grease? Consider these foods instead: healthy stir fries with lots of veggies, beans, lentils, smoothies with protein powder, almonds, brown rice, tofu, organic potatoes, salads with a bit less olive oil, one or two free range eggs instead of three or four, etc.

No comments:

Post a Comment